Welcome to Day #10 of The World's Greatest Adventure Machine Blog Tour!
To celebrate the release of The World's Greatest Adventure Machine by Frank L. Cole (8/8/17), blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Frank and 10 chances to win a copy of Adventure Machine, as well as theme park tickets in the Grand Prize Giveaway!
Deleted Scene
This was the original Chapter 1 of The World’s Greatest Adventure Machine. I wrote it over two and a half years ago and I really loved how it showcased Trevor to the reader. However, a few months after submitting this to my publisher, something horribly similar happened at another zoo with a gorilla. Thus, I was asked to change this chapter as it could be considered too insensitive to current events. Just to make sure you understand, I wrote this first, then the actual event happened later.
Chapter 1
Trevor Isaacs dropped down into the gorilla habitat and ducked below the tall grasses. Immediately, his shoes sunk into the thick mud and a swarm of gnats began attacking his arms and legs.
“Get off me,” Trevor whispered, swatting at the annoying insects.
Shockingly, no one had seen Trevor shimmy up the fence post and slip through the iron bars at the top. It was the final week before summer vacation at Hunter Middle School, and there were more than five hundred students crammed within the East Chester Zoo and Aquarium in Decatur, Illinois for the school’s annual Zoo Day. Most of Trevor’s sixth grade classmates had gathered around the enclosure to watch Gil, the massive silverback gorilla, strut around the center of the habitat.
Trevor scanned the ground, searching for his cell phone. He had dropped it into the enclosure by accident while trying to capture Gil’s earlier rampage and figured he only had about two minutes to locate the phone before someone started screaming.
He was wrong.
“Is Trevor supposed to be in there?” a girl shouted from up above.
Marci Gibson could never mind her own business. Trevor considered chucking a handful of mud at the school snitch. Instead, he frantically pushed the reeds out of his way.
“Come on. Where is it?” Trevor’s phone had to be somewhere around there. It had just dropped over the side. If he didn’t find it, his mom would kill him, or worse, ground him for the summer and never buy him another phone. Trevor’s teacher, Mrs. Dobson, leaned over the rail. “What on earth? Trevor Isaacs, get out of there right now!” “Dude, are you crazy?” said Hoyt Franklin. Clearly, no one was watching the gorilla anymore. Trevor noticed dozens of cell phones pointed in his direction, all filming him as he stood within a hundred yards of a killer beast.
“Calm down, everyone,” Trevor said. “I just need to find my phone and then I’ll get out.”
What was the big deal anyway? If Marci hadn’t opened her mouth, he would’ve been back on the sidewalk before anyone was the wiser. Finally, Trevor spotted his blue, metallic case and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it had missed the mud.
“Found it,” Trevor announced. He picked up the phone and crammed it into his pocket. Now it was time to get out of there. Prior to leaping in, he hadn’t really thought about how he would leave the gorilla habitat. The rod iron bars curved out and then down, preventing any animal from climbing over. But there had to be a door somewhere. How else did the zoo workers bring food in for the gorillas? Figuring an exit had to be closer to where the gorillas slept, Trevor trudged toward the far wall.
“You sir, stop right there.” It was a man’s voice. Trevor glanced up to see a heavyset officer wearing a light tan uniform, reaching through the bars with a long pole and some sort of wired noose at one end. What was he going to use that for?
“Grab hold and I’ll pull you up.” The officer wheezed. He didn’t actually think he could hold Trevor’s weight, did he? Trevor wasn’t a large kid, more average than anything else, but he weighed almost seventy pounds.
Trevor smirked. “Are you serious? I don’t think that will work.” “It will work.” The man stretched, pressing his face against the bars, and trying to force the pole’s noose into Trevor’s hand. The poor officer was already covered in sweat.
“Honestly, I’m fine,” Trevor said, laughing. “Just show me the door. Besides, there’s no way I’ll be able to climb up, even with–” A deafening roar erupted from inside the habitat, and Trevor fell silent. Gil, the gorilla, may have been the last to notice Trevor’s intrusion, but he definitely was the most annoyed. Trevor turned to face the animal. Gil ferociously pounded his chest with his enormous fists and then roared again, revealing a mouth filled with yellowed fangs. Gasps filled the air as the teachers and Trevor’s classmates held their breath.
“Oh, sweet!” Trevor cheered. This was a classic display of dominance. He remembered watching a grainy video of gorillas in the wild a few months ago in science class. Male gorillas would often beat their chests when they felt threatened.
Trevor carefully slid his hand into his pocket and once again pulled out his phone. He selected his camera app and zoomed in on the enraged gorilla. “How do I get video on this thing?” he asked himself. It was a brand new phone, after all, and Trevor had yet to try out all the various features. He could only hope someone up on the main level was filming everything. That was the sort of viral hit he could be proud of. Gil had had enough. Without any warning, the gorilla charged. His fists thundered against the ground as he rapidly covered the distance in less than a couple of seconds. Trevor snapped two quick pictures on his phone, but the flash failed to distract the beast. Everyone screamed, none louder than Mrs. Dobson.
Suddenly, Gil skidded to a stop, as a bright orange feather appeared in his shoulder. The animal flinched, pawing at the feather and the metallic shaft of the tranquilizer dart protruding from his skin. The gorilla staggered backwards, dropped to his knees, and then collapsed to one side, less than a few feet away from Trevor. Gil’s chest expanded slowly with each breath. His eyes were still open, but they were unfocused.
Trevor slowly turned and stared up at the crowd. “That was awesome!”
Chapter 1
Trevor Isaacs dropped down into the gorilla habitat and ducked below the tall grasses. Immediately, his shoes sunk into the thick mud and a swarm of gnats began attacking his arms and legs.
“Get off me,” Trevor whispered, swatting at the annoying insects.
Shockingly, no one had seen Trevor shimmy up the fence post and slip through the iron bars at the top. It was the final week before summer vacation at Hunter Middle School, and there were more than five hundred students crammed within the East Chester Zoo and Aquarium in Decatur, Illinois for the school’s annual Zoo Day. Most of Trevor’s sixth grade classmates had gathered around the enclosure to watch Gil, the massive silverback gorilla, strut around the center of the habitat.
Trevor scanned the ground, searching for his cell phone. He had dropped it into the enclosure by accident while trying to capture Gil’s earlier rampage and figured he only had about two minutes to locate the phone before someone started screaming.
He was wrong.
“Is Trevor supposed to be in there?” a girl shouted from up above.
Marci Gibson could never mind her own business. Trevor considered chucking a handful of mud at the school snitch. Instead, he frantically pushed the reeds out of his way.
“Come on. Where is it?” Trevor’s phone had to be somewhere around there. It had just dropped over the side. If he didn’t find it, his mom would kill him, or worse, ground him for the summer and never buy him another phone. Trevor’s teacher, Mrs. Dobson, leaned over the rail. “What on earth? Trevor Isaacs, get out of there right now!” “Dude, are you crazy?” said Hoyt Franklin. Clearly, no one was watching the gorilla anymore. Trevor noticed dozens of cell phones pointed in his direction, all filming him as he stood within a hundred yards of a killer beast.
“Calm down, everyone,” Trevor said. “I just need to find my phone and then I’ll get out.”
What was the big deal anyway? If Marci hadn’t opened her mouth, he would’ve been back on the sidewalk before anyone was the wiser. Finally, Trevor spotted his blue, metallic case and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it had missed the mud.
“Found it,” Trevor announced. He picked up the phone and crammed it into his pocket. Now it was time to get out of there. Prior to leaping in, he hadn’t really thought about how he would leave the gorilla habitat. The rod iron bars curved out and then down, preventing any animal from climbing over. But there had to be a door somewhere. How else did the zoo workers bring food in for the gorillas? Figuring an exit had to be closer to where the gorillas slept, Trevor trudged toward the far wall.
“You sir, stop right there.” It was a man’s voice. Trevor glanced up to see a heavyset officer wearing a light tan uniform, reaching through the bars with a long pole and some sort of wired noose at one end. What was he going to use that for?
“Grab hold and I’ll pull you up.” The officer wheezed. He didn’t actually think he could hold Trevor’s weight, did he? Trevor wasn’t a large kid, more average than anything else, but he weighed almost seventy pounds.
Trevor smirked. “Are you serious? I don’t think that will work.” “It will work.” The man stretched, pressing his face against the bars, and trying to force the pole’s noose into Trevor’s hand. The poor officer was already covered in sweat.
“Honestly, I’m fine,” Trevor said, laughing. “Just show me the door. Besides, there’s no way I’ll be able to climb up, even with–” A deafening roar erupted from inside the habitat, and Trevor fell silent. Gil, the gorilla, may have been the last to notice Trevor’s intrusion, but he definitely was the most annoyed. Trevor turned to face the animal. Gil ferociously pounded his chest with his enormous fists and then roared again, revealing a mouth filled with yellowed fangs. Gasps filled the air as the teachers and Trevor’s classmates held their breath.
“Oh, sweet!” Trevor cheered. This was a classic display of dominance. He remembered watching a grainy video of gorillas in the wild a few months ago in science class. Male gorillas would often beat their chests when they felt threatened.
Trevor carefully slid his hand into his pocket and once again pulled out his phone. He selected his camera app and zoomed in on the enraged gorilla. “How do I get video on this thing?” he asked himself. It was a brand new phone, after all, and Trevor had yet to try out all the various features. He could only hope someone up on the main level was filming everything. That was the sort of viral hit he could be proud of. Gil had had enough. Without any warning, the gorilla charged. His fists thundered against the ground as he rapidly covered the distance in less than a couple of seconds. Trevor snapped two quick pictures on his phone, but the flash failed to distract the beast. Everyone screamed, none louder than Mrs. Dobson.
Suddenly, Gil skidded to a stop, as a bright orange feather appeared in his shoulder. The animal flinched, pawing at the feather and the metallic shaft of the tranquilizer dart protruding from his skin. The gorilla staggered backwards, dropped to his knees, and then collapsed to one side, less than a few feet away from Trevor. Gil’s chest expanded slowly with each breath. His eyes were still open, but they were unfocused.
Trevor slowly turned and stared up at the crowd. “That was awesome!”
Blog Tour Schedule:
August 14th — BookhoundsYA
August 15th — Good Choice Reading
August 16th— Word Spelunking
August 17th — Life Naturally
August 18th — A Dream Within a Dream
August 21st— Reading Teen
August 22nd — Crossroad Reviews
August 23rd — Novel Novice
August 24th — YA and Kids Books Central
August 25th — Once Upon a Twilight
Follow Frank: Website | Twitter | Facebook
An adventure novel about four lucky kids and a mysterious, but thrilling ride for fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Jurassic Park! CastleCorp and the famous Castleton brothers are unveiling the World’s Greatest Adventure Machine! The roller coaster is an experience like no other, and four lucky kids have won the chance to be the first to ride it. There’s Trevor, whose latest stunt got him in trouble at school again. There’s Devin, whose father is pushing him to be the next Internet sensation. Nika’s wealthy grandfather isn’t too pleased about her participation. And Cameron, he’ll be the first to tell you, is a certified genius. The whole world is watching. But as the kids set off on their journey, they begin to realize that there is perhaps more to their fellow contest winners than meets the eye. And the Adventure Machine? It might just have a mind of its own. Join the contestants on their wild ride if you dare. Your adventure starts now!
GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY
- One (1) winner will receive a copy of The World's Greatest Adventure Machine and a set of two theme park tickets to the park of your choice (up to $125)
- US Only
- Enter via the rafflecopter below
- Giveaway ends 8/27 at midnight ET
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Thank you for the chance.
ReplyDeleteI'm a military veteran with (6) grandchildren of various ages. Having read the Original Chapter 1 Deleted scene excerpt I find myself intrigued by the very well written story and expect that my youngest granddaughter would also be. I will so look forward to the day when I can read The World's Greatest Adventure Machine by Frank L. Cole to my grandchildren as I will enjoy it as much if not more than they will!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds adorable, I love children's books about adventures :) and I love themeparks!
ReplyDelete